Police Incident Reports A Selection of Noteworthy Incident Reports

Incidents listed are selected by the Officer In Charge of each shift that may have significant public interest. Incidents listed are not inclusive of all incidents. To view Calls for Services information, please visit communitycrimemap.com. Requests for information can be directed to the MPD Records Unit: (608) 266-4075.

Incident Report for Case #2022-075732

Incident Type

Fraud

Incident Date

02/28/2022 - 2:53 PM

Address

809 S. Thompson Dr. (Madison Police East District)

Details

On 2/28/2022, a citizen reported that they had likely been the victim of a phone fraud scam when someone claiming to be a federal agent called them to advise their bank accounts had been compromised. That fraudster sent the victim photographs of a fake badge and credentials to convince the victim of their (false) law enforcement status. The fraudster used some common techniques to convince the victim to purchase multiple thousands of dollars' worth of gift cards and then share the gift card data via text message. The gift cards balances were depleted shortly thereafter. A short time later, the same victim received another phone call from someone falsely claiming to be a Madison police officer who was able to mimic the dispatch phone number so it appeared the phone call was legitimate.

The scam described above is one of many common fraud techniques that citizens experience across the country on a daily basis, both over the phone and online. Below are some tips to help you identify some red flags, which may help you avoid finding yourself in a similar situation:

-Consider third-party confirmation of information like officers' names and incident report numbers. This can help you confirm whether or not you have spoken to a real law enforcement officer; and can be done simply, with a call to your local non-emergency dispatcher or by directly contacting the agency the suspected fraudster is claiming to be from.

-Gift cards are never a legitimate way to resolve any government-related financial obligations, and any suggestion otherwise should be considered suspicious.

-When selling personal belongings or goods in online marketplaces, be weary of potential buyers with new accounts and profiles. Also, be on the lookout when potential buyers create a manufactured sense of urgency when it comes to shipping the goods, when they offer you more than the price you're asking, and when they try to suggest a payment transaction method that is more complicated than necessary. These three tactics are often employed together and will leave a victim without their goods and without payment.

-Fraudsters will often target online social apps and websites, and will spend time developing rapport with their victims before convincing them to send money. They oftentimes create that sense of urgency to get their victims to pay large amounts of money. Be cautious about persons you meet online until you're confident you know exactly who they are.

-Law enforcement will never call you to tell you have a warrant for your arrest and to demand a monetary payment to resolve the warrant. If you have any questions as to whether or not such a warrant exists, call your local police agency.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact the Madison Police Department at 255-2345. If you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014 or online at p3tips.com.

Released 02/28/2022 at 9:03 PM by Sgt. Gregory Sosoka